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Course Info for HRST - 252 - 90, Summer 2026
Class number: 1050 Title: Modern Iran--Not by the Book Department: Human Rights Studies
Career: Undergraduate Component: Seminar Session: Second Quarter
Instructor's Permission Required: No Grading Basis: Graded Units: 1.00
Enrollment limited to 10 Current enrollment: 3 Available seats: 7
Start date: Monday, June 22, 2026 End date: Friday, July 24, 2026 Mode of Instruction: Remote
Schedule: MTWR: 12:00PM-1:50PM, N/A Instructor(s): Bauer, Janet
Prerequisite(s): None
Distribution Requirement: Meets Social Sciences and Global Requirements
Note: 5 seats reserved for instructor use.
Course Description:
As an introduction to Iranian society, culture, and politics, this course examines the historical trajectory of contemporary struggles for human rights and democracy across Iran, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan, from the legacy of the Cyrus Cylinder to current street protests—using pedagogies of intercultural collaboration for decolonizing or reframing knowledge production. Trinity College and Afghan students will engage together in media and cultural analysis through the unconventional lens of diverse forms of social media/social communication, which have shaped Persianate cultural consciousness and socio-political processes—from 17th-century Shahnameh storytelling to today’s digital activism. By exploring the contrast between Persianate media perspectives and Western media portrayals, students will also critically re-evaluate the historical and contemporary complexities of Iranian-Persianate-US relations.